Modeling Subdiffusion Using Reaction Diffusion Systems

Mario S. Mommer, Dirk Lebiedz
2009 SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics  
In many types of media, and in particular within living cells or within their membranes, diffusing species do not follow Fick's laws, but instead show transient subdiffusive behavior. Formulating spatiotemporal models that take this behavior into account is a delicate matter, as one is faced with the choice of resorting either to fractional calculus or to microscopic descriptions. In this article, we provide an alternative designed to be easier to tackle analytically and numerically than the
more » ... sting approaches. Specifically, starting from the Continuous Time Random Walk model, we construct linear reaction diffusion systems that can be used as components within such a model, and which capture the defining properties of subdiffusion. We show how to impose physically relevant parameters, and prove stability and mass conservation. While applications to cellular biology are our main motivation, our approach is abstract, and should thus be applicable to any situation where anomalous subdiffusion is observed.
doi:10.1137/070681648 fatcat:ryn7uvzj55bvpl2ihxabs2thza